NY Times on SpongeBob's Yearlong Journey to Atlantis

The New York Times has examined the year-long process to bring the SpongeBob SquarePants special episode Atlantis SquarePantis from concept to screens (free registration required). The article examines the outline-driven writing of the show; the reasons, benefits, and added overhead for outsourcing animation to Korea; the continuing involvement of creator Stephen Hillenburg in SpongeBob; and the success that Nickelodeon has with these special episodes in the ratings.

Atlantis SquarePantis will air tonight on Nickelodeon at 8:00 PM (Eastern/Pacific), and will be available on DVD tomorrow.